GOSPEL REFLECTION OF POPE FRANCIS: 12/6/23 (Wednesday of the First Week of Advent)

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 15:29-37

At that time:

Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,

went up on the mountain, and sat down there.

Great crowds came to him,

having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,

and many others.

They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.

The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,

the deformed made whole,

the lame walking,

and the blind able to see,

and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus summoned his disciples and said,

"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,

for they have been with me now for three days

and have nothing to eat.

I do not want to send them away hungry,

for fear they may collapse on the way."

The disciples said to him,

"Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place

to satisfy such a crowd?"

Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"

"Seven," they replied, "and a few fish."

He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,

gave thanks, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied.

They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.

Words of the Holy Father:

The compassion and tenderness that Jesus showed towards the crowds is not sentimentality, but rather the concrete manifestation of the love that cares for the people’s needs. And we are called to approach the Eucharistic table with these same attitudes of Jesus: compassion for the needs of others, this word that is repeated in the Gospel when Jesus sees a problem, an illness or these people without food… “He had compassion.” “He had compassion”. Compassion is not a purely material feeling; true compassion is patire con [to suffer with], to take others’ sorrows on ourselves. Perhaps it would do us good today to ask ourselves: Do I feel compassion when I read news about war, about hunger, about the pandemic? So many things… Do I feel compassion toward those people? Do I feel compassion toward the people who are near to me? Am I capable of suffering with them, or do I look the other way, or “they can fend for themselves”? Let us not forget this word “compassion,” which is trust in the provident love of the Father, and means courageous sharing. (Angelus, 2 August 2020)

Source:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth